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Yesterday, Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) joined his colleagues in passing H.R. 4361, the Government Reform and Improvement Act, to make reforms that would ensure greater transparency and accountability at federal agencies. The legislation includes seven different provisions to protect federal agency IT data, implement standards for government employees, and prohibit midnight rulemaking by federal agencies after elections.
 
“Hardworking taxpayers expect a federal government that is accountable to them,” said Latta. “Finalizing major rules immediately after an election or allowing senior government officials to go unpunished for misconduct sends the wrong message to the American people. H.R. 4361 implements good government reforms that are necessary to raise the standards at our federal agencies.”  
 
The seven provisions in the Government Reform and Improvement Act are:
Title I – Federal Information Systems Safeguards – Enhances federal cybersecurity by allowing agency heads to block access to potentially dangerous websites without being subject to collective bargaining.
Title II – Elimination of Pornography from Agencies – Requires the Director of Office of Management and Budget to create guidelines to prohibit access to explicit websites on federal computers.
Title III – Extension of Probationary Period for Career Employees – Increases the length of the probationary period for federal employees in a new position from one year to two.
Title IV – Senior Executive Service Accountability – Installs a number of reforms to the Senior Executive Service (SES) including extending the initial probationary period from one year to two, bringing punishments for misconduct in line with other civil service employees, and allowing the head of an agency to place an SES employee on mandatory annual leave if they are facing removal for misconduct.
Title VI – Midnight Rule Relief – Prohibits federal agencies from proposing or finalizing major midnight rules during the moratorium period (day after Election Day to Inauguration Day); allows for exceptions in cases of emergencies or for U.S. national security
Title VII – Requirement to Maintain Records – Requires the IRS to maintain any “preserved record” it obtains for at least three years. A preserved record is any record maintained that isn’t pursuant to a rule, guidance, or other directive from the IRS.
 
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